Premier-Designate
Mcguinty Speaks By Phone With ODA Committee Chair - Another Signal That
An Optimistic New Chapter Has Opened In Our Campaign For A Barrier-Free
Ontario

October 10, 2003

SUMMARY

On October 9, 2003,
Premier-Designate Dalton McGuinty spoke by telephone with ODA Committee
Chair David Lepofsky. In this congenial and positive conversation, the
ODA Committee chair congratulated Mr. McGuinty on his election, and
offered the ODA Committee's help to the new Ontario Government in developing
a strong and effective new Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The ODA
Committee has followed up on this phone call by sending a letter to
the Premier-Designate repeating this. That letter is set out below.

This conversation
has great symbolic importance. Within one week of the election, the
incoming Premier has clearly distinguished himself from Premiers Harris
and Eves. Both Premiers Harris and Eves refused every one of the many
requests that we made to meet to discuss the ODA, during their combined
eight years in office. We made over 25 written requests to Premier Harris
for a chance to meet. After the Conservatives were elected in 1995,
it also took us a full year to just get our first introductory meeting
with the first Conservative Citizenship Minister, Marilyn Mushinski.

We hope to learn
on October 23, 2003 who will be appointed to have lead responsibility
within the new Liberal Government for developing the new Ontarians with
Disabilities Act. That's the day when the new Cabinet will
be announced.
Send us your feedback at:

On behalf of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee, I want to
thank you for taking the time out of your undoubtedly hectic schedule
to speak with me by phone yesterday. I welcomed the opportunity to congratulate
you on your election as Premier, and to reiterate our offer to work
together with you and your Government to develop a strong and effective
Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Your openness to
speak by phone so soon after last week's election further signals the
opening of a new, optimistic chapter on the road to our shared goal
of a barrier-free province for Ontarians with disabilities. We regret
that in contrast, over the past eight years, both of your immediate
predecessors refused each of our many requests to meet.

We are ready to
buckle down for the hard work that lies ahead for all who have a stake
in developing a strong, effective Ontarians with Disabilities Act. As
I mentioned during our conversation, we will look forward to working
with whichever member of your caucus to whom you assign lead responsibility
for developing the new Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Whether you decide that this will fall to the Minister of Citizenship,
or to a new post which would be dedicated to the development of this
legislation, such as a new Associate Minister, or a Parliamentary Assistant,
we will be ready to help. If you opt to appoint one of your caucus members
who already has a good background on this issue, we will have the benefit
of their accumulated experience. If you opt instead to appoint a caucus
member who is new to this issue, we will be pleased to do whatever we
can to help them learn about this issue and to make good
contact with Ontario's disability community.

Again, please accept
our thanks for your taking the time to speak by phone.